anderson



March 17, 1964 J. o. ANDERSON 3,125,381

ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR HAND TOOLS Filed Nov. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1JENS O. ANDERSON INVENTOR.

March 17, 1964 J. o. ANDERSON 3,125,381

ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR I-iAND TOOLS Filed NOV. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2JENS O. ANDERSON INVENTOR.

MTM

United States Patent O 3,125,381 ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR HAND T0018 Jens 0.Anderson, 1111 3rd St., NE, Auburn, Wash. Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No.68,902 2 Claims. (Cl. 306-12) This invention relates to the generalclass of hand tools such as are used in gardening, building andconstruction work and more particularly to an adjusting means disposedat the end of a hoe-like handle and which is used to couple variousforms of blades to the handle so that it may be used for variousoperations and with various other tools such as heavily tined forks,rakes and the like.

There are many conditions where it is desirable to employ a hand tool ofeither a solid blade or tined type at the end of a substantial hoe-likehandle. Such tools are commonly used by gardeners and by manyconstruction workers. At present it is common to employ tools that havea fixed angular relationship to the longitudinal axis of the handle.Experience has shown however that it is very desirable to be abletochange the plane of a transversely mounted tool with respect to thehandle and thus adapt the tool to a wide variety of hoein g, digging,scraping or ch-iseling operations. When using the tined tool attachmentit should be possible to use them as a spading type fork or a tined hoe.In the past many have endeavored to provide a solution of this problembut those solutions that have been observed have resorted to lockingmeans which either consisted of a screw and nut mounted at the junctureof the blade and the handle or which used jaw clutches that requiredloosening a pivot bolt, or in many cases a spring urged detent wasemployed to achieve the locking. The general fault of this type ofdevice is that the locking means is exposed to dirt, snow and variousmaterials which tend to build up on the locking means, soon renderingthis means either inoperative or difficult to operate. This presentinvention provides a very secure locking means of great strength inproportion to the weight of the locking mechanism and instead of usingthe various for-ms of nut tightened locking means the locking screw issecured in the handle so that the change of the angle of the blade orfork with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle can be achievedby merely turning the handle to unlock the threaded portion. Then, whena new position is selected, the screw locking means is tightened by areverse turning of the handle. Such an arrangement is easy to operateand permits a great deal of locking pressure to be applied to thelocking mechanism.

The principal object of this present invention therefore is to providean adjustable means whereby the working portion of a hand tool can beangularly adjusted with respect to the longitudinal axis of an elongatedstraight handle.

A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby thelocking screw makes a very positive en gagement with and provides aprecise placement of the tool portion with respect to the handle.

A further object of this invention is to provide an adjusting means forhand tools which is tightened or loosened by revolving the handle withrespect to the tool.

A further object of this invention is to provide a locking means inwhich a locking screw of unusual strength can be employed without havingthe locking mechanism itself either bulky or heavy in its construction.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from thedescription and disclosure in the drawings or may be comprehended or areinherent in the device.

In the drawings:

3,125,381 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showinga hoe-like hand tool with the handle largely broken away so as to showthe hoe blade and the locking means therefor on an increased scale.

FIGURE 2 illustrates in fragmentary side elevation several differentcommonly employed angular positions for the hoe blade with respect tothe longitudinal axis of the handle.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken generally alongthe line 33 of FIGURE 2, to illustrate the relative simplicity of thelocking means and the proportionate size of the locking screw withrespect to the other elements of the tool.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged View, partly in cross section astaken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical side view showing a blade in theadjusted position on a prolongation of the longitudinal axis of thehandle.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view showing a blade tool in a differentadjusted position from that shown in FIGURE 5 and showing the same asemployed in removing the baseboard from a wall, for instance.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating the use of a spading-typefork member with my adjusting means employed to coupule it to a hoe-typehandle.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like ref erence charactersindicate like parts, the numeral 10 designates a hoe-type handle in thatit normally has a length of four or five feet and is straight. At thetool engaging end a metal ferrule 12 is preferably employed tostrengthen the handle and to provide adequate material for a threadedmeans. Engaging the threads formed in ferrule 12 is the threaded end 14of handle assembly 10. This member is in effect a threaded screw 16which engages interior threads 18 formed within ferrule 12. At itsexterior end screw 16 is provided with a conical metal point 20. It isnoteworthy that by having screw 16 arranged as part of the handle thatthe screw itself can be made large and strong to give a long useful lifeand secure locking of the locking means. It is necessary that this screwhave considerable strength so that it is possible for the user of thetool to tighten screw 16 by using both hands on handle 10 and to thusturn it and impose a very severe loading on screw -16 which needs thestrength that this design makes possible.

The tool locking means comprises an eccentric locking member 22 which ispreferably cylindrical in form and with a shaft bore 24 passing throughthe same parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical member.'It has been found however that in order to keep the weight of materialsas low as possible consistent with the required strength that it is bestto have bore 24 eccentrically disposed but parallel to the longitudinalaxis of member 22. This relationship is illustrated in several of theviews, especially in FIGURE 3. By this arrangement the interior threadsin the centrally positioned threaded bore 26, formed in locking member22 can have considerable length and thus should insure a long usefullife for both the threads 26 and the threaded end 14 of the handle. Suchan arrangement gives adequate strength to absorb the full twistingaction that a person can give to handle 10. Disposed within bore 24 isthe locking shaft 30. Shaft 30 is provided with a plurality of conicallocking recesses 32 which are disposed in a common plane substantiallyin the center of shaft 30 and transversely disposed with respectthereto. Referring to FIGURE 4 it will be noted that three such lockingrecesses are provided. This is given as an example only and illustratesthe positioning of the recesses in order to achieve the three positionsof the bladed tool 34. These positions are illustrated in 'FIGURES 2, 5and 6.

Disposed on either planar end face of locking member 22 are the toolengaging arms 37 and 33. These arms are fixedly secured by riveting orwelding them to the blade 34 or to the fork illustrated in FIGURE 7.These two engaging arms may be secured to a Wide variety of tools ofwhich two only have been illustrated and they are fixedly secured tothese tool parts. In order to provide interchangeability shaft 30 mustbe secured in place by means permitting its removal but at the same timehaving ample strength to fix the rotative position of shaft 39 withrespect to the tool engaging arms as 37 and 38. If it is not desirableto have interchangeable tools as the blade 34 or the fork 36 then shaft30 may be fixedly secured by welding to the tool engaging arms.

For use for the convertible tool arrangement suitable pins or bolts maybe applied at 40 and 42. Normally it is not intended that the tools bechanged frequently; consequently a very satisfactory locking means is toemploy suitable sized tapered pins at 40 and 42. In order toadjustablysecure the screw 16 in ferrule 12 it is desirable to employ a lock-nut44.

To make most convenient use of this tool it should be provided withseveral different angular positions as evidenced by the three lockingrecesses of FIGURE 4. In order to change from one recess to another soas to change the angular relationship between the tool 34 or 36 and thehandle the first step is to rotate handle 16 so as to withdraw point 20from the locking recess 32 in which it was previously seated. Thisoperation is most conven- Y iently accomplished by placing the toolblade or fork on the ground and then rotating the handle. In this mannertwo hands can be used if desirable, which is often desirable when womenor children use the tool. Next by manipulation of handle 10 the angularrelationship can be changed and one of the recess indicating dots as 46or 47 is brought opposite an index as indicated at 48, it being possibleto have more than one index for convenience in reading when the tool isheld in the hands or when the blade or fork portion is on the ground. Assoon as the indicators show that another recess 32 is substantially inline with the conical point 20 the handle is turned in the reversedirection, thus seating the substantial point 20 in the locking recess32 and as the locking members are all large enough to accept any strainplaced on them by the user, a very secure locking can be achieved.

By having the ability to be adjusted to various angular positions thetools 34 or 36 secured to handle 10, many additional functions areserved. FIGURE 1 shows a conventional hoe which may be made in varioussizes for hoeing, weeding or back filling holes and the like. In FIGURE6 the blade 34 makes a small angle with the handle and is especiallyuseful in wrecking buildings, it being shown as a convenient means forremoving baseboards 50 and drawing the nails as 52. This same placementof biade 34 serves for scraping ice off sidewalks, taking up sod strips,scraping floors, taking up linoleum floor covering and for weeding underfences. The positioning shown in FIGURE 5 lends itself to weedingagainst a foundation, taking old shingles off a roof or as a lawn edger.Similarly the ability to position a tined member 36 as in FIGURE 5 makesit useful as a spading fork, as in FIGURES 1 or 2 a striking hoe isprovided and when positioned after FIGURE 6 a conventional type fork isprovided.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of adjustable means for hand tools.

Having thus disclosed by invention,

I claim:

1. An adjustable means for hand implements comprising, a locking memberof closed cylindrical form having the outer periphery thereofinterrupted only by a centrally positioned, transversely extendinghandle assembly receiving threaded bore and a shaft mounting borepositioned eccentrically of said periphery disposed forwardly of thelongitudinal axis of said locking member and in line with said handleassembly receiving bore parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidlocking member, a rotatable handle having a threaded lower end whichterminates in a conical metal point, an implement-carrying locking shaftrotatably fitted in said shaft mounting bore and having a plurality ofconical recesses formed radially thereof and in the plane of said handleassembly receiving bore, said conical recesses being engageable by saidconical metal point to rigidly secure said implementcarrying lockingshaft, tool engaging arms disposed on opposite ends of said lockingmember, said arms being fixedly secured to said implement-carryinglocking shaft.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 in which said rotatable handle isprovided with a metal ferrule at its lower end having a threaded bore; ascrew engaging said threaded bore, and extending outwardly beyond theend of said handle; locking means to secure said screw in its adjustedposition and to prevent its turning in respect to said handle and saidscrew terminating in said conical metal point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS947,990 Harbeck Feb. 1, 1910 1,073,565 Biehl Sept. 16, 1913 1,757,538Miller May 6, 1930 2,409,879 McIntosh Oct. 22, 1946 2,429,753 GroschOct. 28, 1947 2,689,967 Mackey Sept. 28, 1954

1. AN ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR HAND IMPLEMENTS COMPRISING, A LOCKING MEMBEROF CLOSED CYLINDRICAL FORM HAVING THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOFINTERRUPTED ONLY BY A CENTRALLY POSITIONED, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDINGHANDLE ASSEMBLY RECEIVING THREADED BORE AND A SHAFT MOUNTING BOREPOSITIONED ECCENTRICALLY OF SAID PERIPHERY DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID LOCKING MEMBER AND IN LINE WITH SAID HANDLEASSEMBLY RECEIVING BORE PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAIDLOCKING MEMBER, A ROTATABLE HANDLE HAVING A THREADED LOWER END WHICHTERMINATES IN A CONICAL METAL POINT, AN IMPLEMENT-CARRYING LOCKING SHAFTROTATABLY FITTED IN SAID SHAFT MOUNTING BORE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OFCONICAL RECESSES FORMED RADIALLY THEREOF AND IN THE PLANE OF SAID HANDLEASSEMBLY RECEIVING BORE, SAID CONICAL RECESSES BEING ENGAGEABLE BY SAIDCONICAL METAL POINT TO RIGIDLY SECURE SAID IMPLEMENTCARRYING LOCKINGSHAFT, TOOL ENGAGING ARMS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID LOCKINGMEMBER, SAID ARMS BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID IMPLEMENT-CARRYINGLOCKING SHAFT.